I LOVE Her!!

This pic returned today as a "Facebook Memory" from 2013, but I had to share. Love my girl!

What's this Mom?

Last weekend My Girl and I stopped at a local coffee shop with "old school" decor.  While we waited for my coffee, we happened to sit next to the same phone my Granny had in her home (when I was a child)!  I had to show My Girl how to dial out, which actually took me a second to remember.  Man have times changed! (Wait...Did I really just say that??)

Silly Veggies!

My boy LOVES to help make dinner, so I'm always giving him little jobs to keep him busy. Last night I asked him to place the cauliflower we were baking onto the cookie sheet after I cut it up. Easy job I know, but it was all I could think of! 

I love how creative he can be and always makes cooking dinner fun. I never would have thought to make a smiley face with our veggies.  See picture below.  :) Of course I had to mess up his silly face when I seasoned it for cooking, but I did that after he wandered off into the other room. LOL

I had "Pinned" this recipe I wanted to try, but could not find it on my Pinterest page for some reason.  I decided to "wing it" and add my favorite ingredients.  After tossing the cauliflower in olive oil, I added a little garlic powder, Lawry's Seasoned Salt, fresh basil from our garden and lot's of fresh parmesan cheese my boy shredded for me.  I cooked it at 425 degrees for 20 minutes and it was delicious!  I highly recommend some parchment paper though. What a mess to clean up!

Fruit & Water Trick!

Give a kid a straw, some fruit & a cup of ice water and it will keep them occupied for at least 10 minutes!  

Bonus:  They actually drink the water and eat the fruit they need.  #Momscore

Happy Father's Day

It's not very often My Girl mentions her Father and Grandparents, but understandably Father's Day is always one of those days.  This year will be the 6 year anniversary since she last saw them.  Her Dad can only see her supervised, but the Grandparents are welcome to visit any time.  They all choose not to make the effort to be a part of her life.  

It took My Girl a couple of days to get the courage to call, but she finally tried on Thursday.  To her disappointment, the call did not go well.  She felt like they rushed her off the phone and did not engage in any conversations that she brought up.  They were uninterested in the excitement of her new baby Sister and did not care that her dog Scooby had died a while back.  She could tell her Father hated the fact that she kept referencing her "Daddy" and noticed he made a snappy comment of "Your Daddy loves you" when he quickly ended their call.  They even went as far as to tell her to "Give them a call if she's ever in town".  It never ceases to amaze me the things that they will tell a 12 year old and how they can't even spend more than 20 minutes on the phone with her.  The worst part is they only live 2 hours away.

As part of the standard "post call" damage control, I reminded my girl that her Father is a sick man destroyed by alcoholism.  He does not mean to hurt her feelings and we should pray that some day he will get well and be a responsible parent both emotionally and financially.  I reminded her that it is the parent and/or Grandparents responsibility to make the effort to be a part of her life.  It is not her job to chase their love.  What a hard lesson to learn at such a young age.

DESPITE IT ALL, we had a great Father's Day weekend!  All of the OTHER "Dad's" in our family couldn't wait to spend time with my girl and all of our kids.  

I ventured out with all four kids on Friday to the pool with my Dad (Grandpa), and they loved riding the lazy river and the big slides with him. They were exhausted after swimming all day, but we still managed to meet my Mom and Gramps (my Step Dad) for dinner before they took them home to have a sleepover.  Woohoo for Mommy & Daddy time!

We even had a baby free Saturday when my Hubby's Mom (Nana) took our Baby Girl to play for the day.  Believe it or not, I missed her terribly, as I realized that was the longest we had been apart since she was born.  On Sunday, the kids helped make breakfast for their Dad, gave him Father's Day cards & gifts, and decorated his present with numerous notes and drawings (see below). My Boy left early with Nana to go for his monthly haircut and later we all met for a Father's Day lunch.  My Dad joined us as well and brought the kids their favorite giant cookie.

What's really great is this was just a normal weekend for us.  My kiddos are always visiting their Grandparents and love to spend time with them and their Dad.  I'm thankful My Girls have these special relationships with mine and my Hubby's family to build a lasting bond and show them the real meaning of family.

Happy Father's Day!